How to get help with vet bills

Keeping your pet healthy can cost you a lot, especially if you get a big vet bill. But if you need help paying, there are several ways you can get financial assistance towards veterinary bills.

Pet insurance for vet bills

The best way to ensure you get help towards unexpected vets' bills is to have a suitable pet insurance policy in place in advance.

Having cover in case your pet needs an expensive operation or treatment for a chronic condition could end up saving you thousands of pounds, or even your pet's life.

Pet insurance does not need to be expensive and with vets' bills rising, even basic cover can work out cheaper in the long run as it can cover the cost if your pet falls ill.

How does it work?

You pay a monthly or annual amount, known as a premium, for a policy that can pay for a range of costs like vet bills. Some also cover:

Third party liability if your pet damages someone else's property

Compensation for the death or loss of a pet

The cost of advertising for a lost pet

Boarding fees if you are hospitalised

Compensation if you have to cancel your holiday if your pet gets ill

Each policy includes different cover options and a maximum amount it can pay towards vets' bills in a year. Policies with a higher maximum payout and a wider range of cover usually come with higher premiums.

Check if you can get charity help with vets bills

If you are on a low income, are retired or receive certain state benefits you may be able to get help towards the cost of veterinary care from a dedicated animal charity.

Some of the animal charities worth contacting are:

PDSA

The PDSA treat animals that belong to owners who get financial help from certain state benefits like Housing Benefit or Council Tax support.

Treatment is usually free of charge, but the PDSA ask anyone who benefits from free treatment to make a voluntarily donation towards the cost, as the charity does not receive any government funding.

The PDSA have their own vets which provide both emergency treatment and ongoing/prescription care in designated areas of the UK.

For more information and to check if your pet qualifies for free treatment, call the free PDSA helpline on 0800 731 2502 or visit the PDSA website. You will need to register your pet before they can receive treatment.

Blue Cross

The Blue cross run four animal hospitals and five mobile clinics across London and Grimsby. They also have five pet care clinics located outside London. These offer free veterinary treatment for pets whose owners are on a low income or get certain means-tested benefits.

Visit the Blue Cross website to check if you live in an area covered by the Blue Cross, and whether you qualify for free veterinary care.

Dogs Trust

The Dogs Trust offer financial help towards the cost of neutering to dog owners that live in certain areas of the UK, have a low income and receive certain means-tested benefits.

Dogs Trust also support homeless dog owners through their Hope Project.

Cats Protection

Cats Protection offer financial assistance towards the cost of neutering but do not pay out for any other veterinary care.

Get vet advice via the Vetfone helpline

Vetfone is a 24 hour vet helpline similar to NHS Direct, but for pets, which provides advice from a qualified RCVS registered veterinary nurse over the phone.

The telephone service isn't free, but is often cheaper than booking an appointment with a vet. It can also be a useful service if you are unsure whether your pet needs to see a vet, or if your normal veterinary practice is closed.

You can either choose to pay a fixed fee of £12.50 or opt to have your call charged at £1.53 per minute plus network extras. Visit the Vetfone website for more details.

Speak with your vet

If you do not qualify for help with your veterinary bills from a registered animal charity, speak to your vet because they may let you pay in instalments to spread the cost.

Whether you can do this will depend on your veterinary practice and the total cost of the treatment your pet needs.

While spreading the cost this way can give you more time to pay, you should check that there are no costs involved and that you're not paying any extra for the privilege.

If your vet doesn't allow you to pay in instalments then it is worth checking with other vets in your local area before giving the go-ahead for treatment.

Spread the cost yourself

If you do not qualify for any help towards your vet bills and your pet needs expensive veterinary treatment, you could consider spreading the cost using a cheap credit card.

The easiest way to do this would be to use a long term 0% purchases credit card which would then give you plenty of time to repay the cost over many months.

However, if you don't have time to wait for a new card to arrive in the post, you could pay using an existing credit card and move the balance over to a 0% balance transfer card.

If neither of these options sound suitable, there are other ways to spread the cost of an unexpected bill. Read our guide for more details.

Compare veterinary costs

One of the best ways to keep your costs down in the long term is to make sure you are using a veterinary service offering the best value for money.

If your pet needs treatment it can be worthwhile asking several vets for an upfront quote, to cover the full cost of treatment and subsequent ongoing care.

While cost is not the only determining factor when choosing your vet, doing this will at least allow you to compare the costs upfront and make an informed decision.

If your pet is in good health it can make sense to check the cost of routine health care, including neutering and vaccinations at several vets before deciding on which to register your pet with.

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